Park plan revisited in Portland

Published
4:40 pm EST, Tuesday, December 31, 2013

PORTLAND >> The initial plan for use of the Goodrich property for recreation is being revised following a public hearing and a citizen survey.

An advisory committee working with the town’s recreation director hopes to be back before the Board of Selectmen in February with a revised plan, members of the committee told the selectmen in December.

The town bought the 37-acre parcel of land off Route 17 in 2006 with the idea of turning it into a recreation complex.

Recreation Director Sean Dwyer has been working with members of the Route 17 Recreation Complex Committee to fashion a plan for the property that involves both active and passive recreation.

The initial plan calls for two Little League baseball fields, two full-sized soccer fields, concessions and restrooms, a recreation building, a splash pad and playground space, picnic areas and a series of cross-country trails and walking paths.

In October, the committee held a meeting seeking citizen input on the plan. The committee also created a survey form and asked residents to fill it out.

The response exceeded his expectations, Chairman Brian McCarthy said.

“We had 75 people attend the forum, and we had nearly 500 responses to the survey,” McCarthy told the selectmen at a meeting in December. “I feel we have gotten quite a lot of feedback. The people who did respond are passionate about that property.”

Overall, the public supports the project, McCarthy said, but there were some concerns expressed at the forum. Those concerns include “proximity to the houses out there, security issues and the hours it will be open,” McCarthy said.

“One thing there was a lot of support for was a pool,” McCarthy said, although, “That may not be the right spot. There’s no sanity sewer out there and it’s just not a good site.”

Residents at the forum told also the committee, “No matter what you do, it’s essential you make Strickland Street a cul de sac,” McCarthy said.

“The neighbors out there said they don’t want to see their neighborhood used as cut through,” he explained. “Even if the park isn’t built, they’d still like it to be made into a cul de sac.”

First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield promised selectmen will be considering ways to address that issue.

“I’d like to hear from the people who live there, because they’re the ones who will be most affected by it,” Selectman Mark J. Finkelstein said.